Snippets- Yesterday coalition forces conducted a series of cordon and knock operations, targeting division and brigade high-value targets in Mosul. The first operation resulted in a target and three associates being detained and in the second operation coalition forces targeted an individual planning a MANPAD SA-7 attack on a Mosul airfield.
- On Sunday coalition forces conducted a series of simultaneous cordon and knock operations in Tall Afar targeting seven high-value targets, all suspected of Ansar al-Islam connections. Ten people were detained, two of them, which are confirmed targets.
- An Iraqi Civil Defense Corps patrol captured three men as they were loading weapons into an automobile in a Baiji mechanic shop on the evening of January 31st. The men admitted that they were taking the confiscated firearms to Basra, and the ICDC units confiscated 25 AKA-47 assault rifles, one pistol and one automatic weapon.
- On Monday, coalition forces conducted a raid to capture an individual suspected of attacks on Baghdad International Airport. The unit captured three enemy, and all tested positive for explosives from a vapor test. The target, Mohammed Ghatab Jihad (ph), later turned himself in.
- In January, an informant, using the Baghdad tips hotline, provided information related to weapons dealers, terrorist cells and air defense missiles for sale to anti-coalition organizations in Baghdad. Based on this information, Kareem Marwan (ph) and Mohammed Rafar (ph) were arrested, and two SA-7 Strella missiles, 11 sticks of PE-4, 1 kilo of RDX explosives, and three anti-tank missiles were recovered.
- Coalition forces conducted a raid on two houses southeast of Hit to capture a suspected arms dealer in the area. The operation was conducted without incident and resulted in the capture of four enemy personnel, including the primary target. In the backyard of one of the target houses, forces dug up 100 155-millimeter South African artillery rounds, 30 107-millimeter rockets, 500 anti-tanks mines, 500 anti- personnel mines, and 10 50-pound bags of a black powder believed to be gun powder. Additionally, they recovered enough 14.5-millimeter and 23-millimeter ammunition to fill an entire cargo truck.
- There was a possible Ba’ath retaliation killing in Basra last evening. The man killed had been a clerk in the Social Office of Basra. His family confirmed that he had been a Ba’ath Party member and that he had been abducted on the 31st of January.
- And I would just add that the effectiveness of the Iraqi police force, specifically in Baghdad, speaks for itself. When Ambassador Bremer arrived here in the spring, there was not one single Iraqi police officer on the streets of Baghdad. Today there are well 60,000. And not coincidentally, the crime rate in Iraq -- in Baghdad has declined 39 percent in the last two months. The governor of Basra tells us that the crime rate in Basra has declined there over the last two months by about 70 percent. So, clearly the presence of Iraqi police on the front lines, walking the patrols, addressing the problems, is having an effect.
- And before we think that they have not been ready and that they’re not doing the job, the fact remains that over 270 Iraqi policemen have died in the line of duty since May. And that’s a significant figure by any measure, that they’re willing to put their lives on the line every day for the public security of the country of Iraq.
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